A Savior, Lost
by tym4change
Summary: My take on what would happen in the final battle has always been a bit different...


_I know I posted this before, within a story called "Oneshots/Drabbles," but they didn't fit together, and I realized it probably wasn't necessarily the best idea or way to get hits. So if you have me on your alerts, and you've already read this, I'm sorry; just ignore it. Oooooor you could drop me a review...  
Oh, and I know. I don't particularly enjoy this pairing either. I kind of hit a point a while ago when this was written that I decided I quite enjoyed writing Hermione, as you'll probably notice in the coming oneshots. Just...give it a shot? For me?_

**A Savior, Lost**

"I love you." Harry leaned down, pulling the love of his life in his arms into a passionate kiss.

"Love you, too." Hermione smiled up at him as they pulled apart, lightly tracing the slightly faded scar on his forehead.

The couple had been together for three months, since about two weeks before the big war where Voldemort was finally defeated, and Harry could not be more enamored. He loved the way she looked at him, the warmth of her soft skin, and how real she felt.

He smiled as he nestled his face in her hair and they lay back on the small bed, simply holding each other and stealing kisses every now and then. Harry was murmuring sweet nothings with nothing other than the sweet woman in his arms on his mind when she suddenly sat up.

"Harry, there's something you should know. I love you, but you have to know the truth."

He warily sat up next to her. "What is it?"

"I can't quite tell you; you have to figure it out on your own…Do you remember the last war against Voldemort?"

"Of course." He replied quickly, curiously, "How could I not?"

"Tell me what happened."

"Well, I killed him. You were there; you remember, don't you?"

Hermione chuckled sadly. "Of course I remember. Just...tell me everything you remember, okay? It'll help."

He sighed, collecting his thoughts. "I don't remember it all too clearly, but I _do_ remember that there were spells flying everywhere, missing some by millimeters. It was dark and I was coughing...I think a wall had fallen or something; there was a lot of dust. I remember getting separated from everyone, trying to find Voldemort. I...I finally ran into him, almost quite literally. There was no one around, but I knew that I had to duel him. So we started…it was difficult; there's no doubt that he _was_ a great wizard. A small crowd gathered, surprising me that we were seemingly winning, who gasped at every close call I had. Then I saw an unprotected space on him, so I raised my wand…aiming a spell at him." Harry stopped, shivering. It was still difficult for him to remember that night; it was fuzzy, and so many great lives had been lost.

Hermione pulled him close, shushing him lightly until he regained control of himself, slowing the shaking and quieting his sobs. When he had recovered, she encouraged him, "Yes. Yes. What happened after that, baby?"

"I saw him go down as though it was in slow motion…I felt a searing pain shoot through my head. It was absolutely horrible. I fell to the ground…" He stopped suddenly again, remembering the intense pain and realizing that something wasn't quite right. The bed wasn't as warm…there was too much room in it. Harry gasped, sitting up and searching frantically for Hermione, who seemed to have disappeared. "What-?"

A calm voice interrupted him. "Mr. Potter, we have your medicine."

* * *

Meanwhile, the real Hermione Granger stood in a dark room, watching the famous Harry Potter through the pane of a two-way mirror. The doctor who had been working on Harry's case appeared behind her and began to explain. "He's been having these hallucinations since he came in. They're always the same, with him realizing what happened after an hour or two. We're not sure if we can cure him."

Hermione looked at the doctor sadly. "Voldemort…"

"We believe so. There had been a part of him in Harry since he was merely a year old, so he had grown around it. When it was forcibly drawn from him in that battle, he…"

"Went insane?" Hermione asked frankly but quietly.

"You could call it that." She thanked the doctor and he left her to watch Harry by herself.

She stood there for many moments, wishing and wondering. She wondered what would have happened if the battle had turned out differently and wished that there was some way to find out. She wished that Ron hadn't been lost among multiple other Weasleys and wondered if he could have or would have helped her during this time. But most of all, she wondered what Harry's hallucinations meant. They had been good friends for a long while; she had had a huge crush on him for a while but gave it up a long time ago. Then, she wondered what would have, could have, might have happened if she had acted years previous and if Harry would have still been...hurt...how he had been. Hermione wished that she could have somehow switched places with Harry, or at least been inflicted the same way. "Harry, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I love you. Please don't give up." The calm woman felt herself beg nearly silently after many long minutes of waiting for something that wouldn't happen, possibly ever. She wiped away a tear as she turned her back on the sight of the MediWizards trying to make Harry take his medicine.

* * *

_What'd you think? I made some changes; had you read this before and noticed them? If so, what did you think of them? Go ahead; drop me a line._


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